Publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex with a centerpiece man-made tropical-style lagoon and method for providing efficient utilization of limited use land

ABSTRACT

A publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex is disclosed, with a man-made tropical, pristine-clear lagoon as the centerpiece of the complex, with surrounding entertainment, educational, sports, and commercial facilities, the complex having controlled public access and providing the look and feel of a tropical beach with clear waters and sandy beaches. In addition a method for efficiently utilizing facilities and land that are vacant, underutilized, have limited uses, or that are contiguous to or nearby recreational, educational, sports, or commercial venues is disclosed. The method providing a publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex with a centerpiece man-made tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon. The method allows for generating revenue and increasing efficiency by pairing vacant sites, underutilized sites, limited use land, or sites that are contiguous to entertainment, educational, sports, and/or commercial venues with urban beach entertainment complexes. The complex preferably has a controlled public access, thereby allowing entrance upon payment of a fee.

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/588,801, filed Sep. 30, 2019, which is aContinuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/528,359,filed Jul. 31, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,123,645, which is aContinuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/990,141,filed May 25, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,521,870, which claims benefitof U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 62/625,182, filed Feb. 1, 2018 and U.S.Provisional Ser. No. 62/639,211, filed Mar. 6, 2018 and whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference. To the extentappropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosedapplications.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a man-made publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex having a man-made tropical-stylepristine-clear lagoon as the complex' centerpiece having at least onesurrounding entertainment, educational, cultural, sports, or commercialfacilities, the complex having controlled public access and providingthe sensation and feeling of being at a tropical beach with clear watersand sandy beaches.

The present invention further relates to a method for efficientlyutilizing facilities and land that are vacant, underutilized, withlimited use and/or are contiguous or nearby recreational, educational,cultural, sports, or commercial venues by providing a publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex with a centerpiece man-madetropical-style pristine-clear lagoon.

BACKGROUND

In the world, there are innumerable land sites, such as vacant land,that are underutilized due to different factors. There are also diverserecreational, educational, sports, and commercial venues that havecontiguous large pieces of land that could benefit from its development.Such sites, with limited or no use, generally have to pay monthly orannual maintenance fees or taxes, with little or no direct incomeresulting from its use. For example, it is estimated that in the U.S.,up to 25% of the total land area in cities is composed of vacant land(according to experts), and it is recommended that such spaces bemanaged more efficiently to meet the current and future requirements ofurban residents. This urban vacant land includes land that can be usedfor future real estate development, among other uses. Additionally,there are sites that have no use, such as greenfields, brownfields, oragricultural or uncultivated land that can be found relatively nearurban centers.

Examples of the diverse recreational, educational, sports, andcommercial venues with contiguous sites noted above are event arenas,museums, amusement parks, water parks, stadiums, golf courses,membership clubs, temporary accommodation facilities such as hotels,zoos, aquariums, shopping centers, university campuses, casinos, cruiseship ports, speed tracks, horse race tracks, and Olympic venues, amongothers.

It has been estimated that there are more than 100,000 of these types ofvenues around the world based on the inventor's research, where a largeportion of them have nearby or contiguous land that is currentlyunderutilized or has limited use, representing a large worldwide marketfor the implementation of new and innovative concepts that efficientlyutilize the aforementioned sites, and that drastically improve andchange the lifestyle of people living in close proximity to these sites.Additionally, many of these venues have large associated infrastructuresuch as parking lots, access routes, and large spaces that areunderutilized or with low utilization rates. For example, some stadiumsare used only once or twice per week, where the rest of the time theirexisting infrastructure has no alternative or additional use. The samehappens in the infield of horse and car race tracks, which often are notused or only used during racing events (i.e., and not for alternative oradditional purposes). In addition, some race tracks have closed and sothe structures are not being efficiently used.

It is also important to note that there are currently severalsignificant trends occurring around the world in connection with retailshopping. More specifically, shopping malls and stores are closing theirdoors at unprecedented rates. This makes available large empty spacesthat can be reinvented and used for other purposes. It is estimated thatone quarter of all shopping malls in the U.S. are expected to shutter inthe next five years (according to predictions by Credit Suisse). In manycases, such spaces are no longer offering what the public is lookingfor, like recreational and cultural activities, a gathering place tospend time with family and friends, additional amenities, and a settingto relax and improve physical and mental health.

Another significant recent trend is that golf courses have gone fromexplosive growth to high closure rates. More than 800 golf courses haveclosed in the U.S. over the last decade, according to Bloomberg. Thereason often proffered is that golf is not a family friendly sport,causing a declining interest from people who are looking for newactivities and experiences to share with their families and friends.Golf course closures leave operators with large pieces of land that maybe abandoned. This creates a large problem where vacant sites may end uptransforming into derelict sites. Again, closures reflect people'schanging preferences for entertainment and leisure, aiming for outdoorrecreational and cultural activities, and treasuring family and friend'stime, looking for a new and dream-like meeting point.

Therefore, the increasing availability of vacant, limited use land,underutilized land or land that is contiguous or nearby recreational,educational, sports, or commercial venues is an untapped market that hashad no innovations over the last years and that could be paired with anewly created complex that appeals to people living around the complexand which leads to more efficient uses.

In addition to the availability of underutilized spaces, urban life andnecessities have also evolved over the years. Publicly accessible openrecreational spaces have decreased due to urbanization and populationgrowth. It is often expressed that living in large cities has becomemore and more stressful. With more than 50% of people in the worldliving in urban areas as mentioned by the United Nations, there is anincreasing and very important need to provide attractive and versatilerecreational spaces, especially outdoors, that can help people get outof their stressful routines and relax in a peaceful, paradisiacalenvironment. According to these trends, the era of gathering in closedspaces such as malls, movie theaters, and confined gyms is waning, witha desire for open and paradisiacal spaces to improve the lifestyle ofpeople around the world.

Paradisiacal and tropical beaches have been found to be one of thepreferred destinations for people all over the world. The desire torelax and enjoy outdoor experiences is universal, especially duringsummer and warmer months. Tropical settings and beaches are one of themost preferred spots among international travelers. Additionally,beaches are very popular for domestic travelers, motivated to get awayfrom normal, everyday life and to relax and rejuvenate in a tropicalparadise. People in general seek to visit and be part of recreationaldestinations, especially close to the sea and beach areas. For example,in the U.S., the shoreline constitutes less than 10% of the total landarea (not including Alaska), but accounts for 39% of the totalpopulation, according to the National Ocean Service. However, many ofthe beaches found in the shoreline are not suitable for swimming, arevery windy have dark sand, and present safety concerns in terms ofcurrents, surf, marine life, rocks, and/or other associated risks. Thiscreates a situation where many people do not swim or practice watersports in or around such beaches.

Instead, people dream of white sandy beaches with tropicalturquoise-colored waters. Their dreams include being immersed in a beachsetting, with the look and feel of tropical environments, enjoying anidyllic lifestyle next to pristine-clear waters with natural wavemovement. Also, in these types of settings, in addition to swimming,practicing water sports is a popular activity demanded by people. Suchwater sports cannot be practiced in backyard or community pools.

Conventional swimming pools simply do not allow for the incorporation ofthese idyllic beach amenities. For the purposes of the presentinvention, and based on its worldwide definition, a conventionalswimming pool is defined as an impervious water body built out ofconcrete or similar materials, and that for its operation requires tofilter the complete water volume contained in the pool 4 times per day,and also requires maintaining a permanent residual chlorine level of atleast 1.0 ppm in the complete water volume according to regulations inFlorida such as Rule 64E-9 from the Florida Department of Health).

Even though a public pool provides a swimmable body of water, it doesnot resolve the key parameters required to generate a beach lifestylelook and feel, an urban beach entertainment complex, and the sensationof being in a tropical setting. Several of the reasons include: (i) veryhigh construction and operation costs, comprising electricity andchemical requirements, which limit their sizes—therefore only smallpools are built; (ii) general use of right angles, and straight lines;(iii) they do not generally have beach areas with sand; (iv) the colorof the water appears artificial and unnatural due to their smalldimensions and low depths; (v) they do not have a natural wave motionsince their sizes do not allow fetch length to create larger and morenatural waves; (vi) they do not enable the practice of water sports dueto their low depths and small sizes; (vii) they have a strong chlorineor chemical smell; (viii) and generally they are not surrounded by atropical or beach-life scenery with docks. In more detail:

-   (i) Conventional swimming pools are very expensive to build and    maintain, and they are generally built out of thick concrete    structures.    -   For example, the “Fleishhacker Pool” located in California, with        a surface of 15,000 m², had to be closed in 1971 due to water        quality problems and high costs. There are several additional        examples of this happening around the world.    -   Based on real swimming pool construction costs, an Olympic sized        pool of around 1,000 m² costs about $1.8 million USD in direct        construction costs and uses more than 23,000 kWh of monthly        electricity and more than 25 gallons per day of chlorine,        equivalent to more than $6,000 in direct monthly operation        costs. Escalating the size and volume of such conventional pools        renders extremely high costs of construction, especially due to        the use of a thick concrete bottom with waterproof paint and        large and expensive equipment to maintain water quality.        Therefore, since escalating the size of conventional swimming        pools is economically and technically difficult, they do not        achieve large enough dimensions to resemble tropical seas and/or        to practice water sports.    -   Operating costs of large pools are high and become economically        prohibitive, due to an intensive electricity consumption to        filter the complete water volume 4 times per day, and due to the        use of chlorine to maintain a high and permanent chlorine level.        Therefore, pools have a very high carbon footprint, which        impacts the sustainability of such structures.-   (ii) Public swimming pools are usually built with straight lines,    straight angles and rectangular shaped geometries, which divert from    natural and curved-shaped water bodies that resemble tropical seas    or shores.-   (iii) Pools do not usually include sandy beach areas. Conventional    pools are usually built out of thick concrete and coated with    paintings or tiles, that does not generate the look of an idyllic    beach with white sandy beaches that resemble that of the tropics.-   (iv) The color and tonality of the water achieved by swimming pools    is usually artificial-looking due to their depths. Since pools    usually have depths of up to 1.5 m, the reflection of the sun from    the bottom of the pools do not generate an intense and deep    turquoise color, such as the pristine turquoise color found in    tropical seas.-   (v) Due to their small sizes, the wave action generated in pools    looks artificial with poor surface water movement. The small sizes,    and specifically the short lengths of pools (longest distance from    one point on the perimeter of the pool to another point located in    the perimeter of the pool) create a situation where the wind does    not influence the surface of a small pool noticeably. The influence    of the wind over a large distance above the water is called “fetch    length”, which influences the surface wave movement of the water.    Small pools with small surfaces do not allow fetch length to occur    and therefore do not generate larger, more natural-looking waves and    wave action.-   (vi) Conventional pools also do not usually provide the conditions    to practice water sports, as many water sports require large surface    areas and greater depths, which cannot be attained by conventional    swimming pool construction and operation technologies since it is    technically and economically unviable to build and maintain at a    large scale. Water sports not usually practiced in small pools    comprise sailing, rowing, windsurf, water skiing, cable skiing, use    of flow-riders, stand up paddling, jet skiing, and kitesurfing,    among others. For example, stand up paddle boarding, which is among    the fastest growing watersport in the U.S., cannot be practiced in    small pools since the desired sensation of paddling in a vast space    is not achieved.-   (vii) Many pools have strong chlorine or chemical smell, since their    operation technologies and worldwide regulations require them to    maintain a permanent and high residual chlorine level in the water    in order to provide proper disinfection. Therefore, the chemical    smell inhibits the illusion of being in a tropical paradise, and    instead conveys the feeling of being in an artificial setting.    Usually, pools need to maintain a minimum residual chlorine level of    1 ppm, which generates a noticeable chlorine smell.-   (viii) Pools are generally not surrounded by tropical or beach-like    scenery such as palm trees, and do not normally have docks or    pontoons, as water sports are not practiced in such small pools.    Therefore, the look and feel associated with idyllic beach life and    a tropical paradise, which includes the practice of several water    sports, is not created.

Based on the above, since life in cities has become more stressful andgoing to a Caribbean or other tropical beach is out of reach for mostpeople (e.g., due to time, money, distance, or other constraints), thepresent invention overcomes, in a new and innovative manner, theaforementioned urban problem of lack of recreational spaces, by bringingbeautiful tropical settings with pristine-clear waters and white sandybeaches to underutilized urban land or sites through a man-made urbanbeach entertainment complex with a centerpiece pristine-clear lagoon.Such entertainment areas are designed to change the lifestyle of peoplearound the world by providing an idyllic beach-life setting thatpromotes relaxation and the enjoyment of pristine waters, by whichconscious or subconscious stress can be reduced and mental and physicalhealth can be improved. Different activities can be held around thecenterpiece lagoon—including recreational, social, cultural, and sportactivities which aim to transform the location into a beautiful,desirable landscape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a man-made publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex with a man-made tropical, pristine-clearlagoon as the complex' centerpiece with surrounding entertainment,educational, sports, and/or commercial facilities, the complex havingcontrolled public access and providing the look and feel of a tropicalbeach with clear waters and sandy beaches.

The present invention further relates to a method for efficientlyutilizing facilities and land that are vacant, underutilized, havelimited uses, or that are contiguous to or nearby recreational,educational, sports, or commercial venues by providing a publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex with a centerpiece man-madetropical-style pristine-clear lagoon. The method allows for generatingrevenue and increasing efficiency by pairing vacant sites, underutilizedsites, limited use land, or sites that are contiguous to entertainment,educational, sports, and/or commercial venues with urban beachentertainment complexes. The complex preferably has a controlled publicaccess, thereby allowing entrance upon payment of a fee.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided apublicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex, the complexcomprising: a large centerpiece lagoon, the lagoon having a bottom, aperimeter, and a minimum surface area of at least about 3,000 m2, or ofat least about 10,000 m² to recreate a tropical lifestyle look and feel,and wherein a majority of the bottom is constructed with a flexible,plastic material, and wherein the lagoon further includes: at least onebathing zone within the lagoon, the bathing zone having a zero-entryedge at the perimeter, wherein the bathing zone comprises a localizeddisinfection system, whereby an increased chemical concentration isprovided in the bathing zone; at least one water sports zone locatedwithin the lagoon, the water sports zone comprising a water depth of atleast 1.4 meters at its deepest point; at least one sand beach area anda rest area surrounding the perimeter of the lagoon, wherein the sand ofthe sand beach area has a light color thereby resembling a tropicalbeach, and wherein the sand beach areas and rest areas have a surfacearea of at least 2,500 m²; a water supply system, operatively connectedto a water supply, for providing both filling and make-up water for thelagoon; a water treatment system for treating the water in the lagoonwherein if the lagoon has a surface of less than about 20,000 m², thewater treatment system comprises at least one centralized filtrationsystem having the capacity to filter the complete volume of water withina 24 hours timeframe; and for surfaces larger than about 20,000 m2, thewater treatment system is arranged and configured to utilize at least50% less electricity compared to a conventional swimming poolcentralized filtration system, wherein the filtration capacity andfiltration water volume is at least 50% lower than for a conventionalswimming pool filtration system that filters the complete water volume 4times per day; a physical barrier surrounding at least a portion of theurban beach entertainment complex, the barrier being arranged andconfigured to limit individual access to the complex or its centerpiecelagoon; an access control system located in at least one portion of thephysical barrier, wherein the access control system is arranged andconfigured to selectively permit entry of individuals into at least aportion of the urban beach entertainment complex; and at least oneancillary facility located within the complex, selected from the groupof commercial, recreational, educational, cultural, residential, andsports facilities in order to allow different events and activities tobe held within the complex.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodfor efficiently utilizing limited use land by creating a publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex, the method comprising:selecting a site with a minimum total surface of 16,000 m2, wherein thesite is selected from vacant land, underutilized sites, limited useland, or land that is contiguous or nearby recreational, educational,sports, or commercial venues, has a minimum surrounding population of500,000 people within a 50-mile radius connected by road access, and hasa water supply with sufficient availability for use at the site;constructing a centerpiece lagoon, the lagoon having a bottom, aperimeter, and a surface area of at least about 3,000 m2, preferably ofbetween about 8,000 m² and about 200,000 m² to recreate a tropicallifestyle look and feel, wherein a majority of the bottom is constructedwith a flexible, plastic material, and wherein at least one portion ofthe lagoon further includes a zero-entry edge resembling a natural beachedge: establishing at least one sand beach area and a rest areasurrounding the perimeter of the lagoon, wherein the sand of the sandbeach area has a light color thereby resembling a tropical beach, andwherein the sand beach areas and rest areas have a surface area of atleast 2,500 m²; connecting a water source to the lagoon with a watersupply system, the water supply system providing both filling and/ormake-up water for the lagoon; incorporate a water treatment system fortreating water in the lagoon, wherein the water treatment system isarranged and configured for treating the water in the lagoon wherein ifthe lagoon has a surface less than about 20,000 m2, the water treatmentsystem comprises at least one centralized filtration system having thecapacity to filter the complete volume of water within a 24 hourstimeframe; and for surfaces larger than about 20,000 m2, the watertreatment system utilizes at least 50% less electricity compared to aconventional swimming pool centralized filtration system, wherein thefiltration capacity and filtration water volume is at least 50% lowerthan for a conventional swimming pool filtration system that filters thecomplete water volume 4 times per day; delimiting at least a portion ofthe lagoon, the sand beach area, and the rest area with a physicalbarrier, wherein the area within the physical barrier further creates anurban beach entertainment complex, the barrier being arranged andconfigured to limit individual access to the complex; locating an accesscontrol system in at least one portion of the physical barrier, whereinthe access control system is arranged and configured to selectivelypermit entry of individuals into at least a portion of the urban beachentertainment complex; and establishing at least one ancillary facilitylocated within the entertainment area, selected from the group ofcommercial, recreational, educational, cultural, residential, and sportsfacilities; whereby individual entry fees provide revenue for the urbanbeach entertainment complex, thereby providing an efficient use of afacility or land that has limited use.

Accordingly, embodiments constructed in accordance with the principlesof the present invention provide people all over the world living nearurban centers the possibility of getting away from their routineeveryday lives and enjoying a beautiful beach-like tropical setting witha pristine-clear lagoon with white sandy beaches as its centerpiece.These publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complexes may becomethe meeting point of the 21^(st) century, changing the lifestyle ofpeople around the world.

These and various other features as well as advantages, whichcharacterize the present invention, will be apparent from reading thefollowing detailed description and a review of the associated drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an embodiment of the urban beach entertainmentcomplex according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a side schematic view of an embodiment of thezero-entry edge and chemical application system

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B show different embodiments ofthe urban beach entertainment complex according to the system and methodof the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of the urban beach entertainmentcomplex along with its physical barrier, access control system, andother features.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram describing a preferred sequence for allowing acontrolled access to at least one portion of the urban beachentertainment complex through an access control location.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram describing a preferred method of practicingthe present invention.

FIG. 11 is an illustrative population density map by which the desiredarea may be determined in connection with the location of the vacant,limited use, underutilized site, or land that is contiguous to existingamenities or facilities.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show a top plan schematic layout of an embodiment ofthe urban beach entertainment complex constructed within the centralspace of a horse racecourse.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, 14A and 14B show a top plan schematic layout of anembodiment of the urban beach entertainment complex constructed withinlimited use sites, corresponding to parking lots, in the contiguous siteto the shopping mall.

FIG. 15 shows and embodiment of the access control system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention discloses a man-made publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex with a man-made tropical-style lagoon as thecomplex' centerpiece with surrounding entertainment, educational,sports, and/or commercial facilities, the complex having controlledpublic access and providing the look and feel of a tropical beach withclear waters and sandy beaches.

The present invention further relates to a method for cost-efficientlyutilizing facilities and land that are underutilized or are contiguousto or nearby recreational, educational, sports, or commercial venues byproviding a publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex with acenterpiece man-made tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon. The methodallows for generating revenue and increasing efficiency by pairingvacant sites, limited use sites, underutilized sites or sites that arecontiguous to entertainment, educational, sports, and/or commercialvenues with the development of urban beach recreational complexes with acenterpiece man-made tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon, wherein thecomplex has controlled public access and therefore allows entrance ofthe public for a fee in at least one section of the complex. Bytransforming such sites into tropical paradises by creating urban beachentertainment complexes with a man-made tropical-style pristine-clearlagoon with white sandy beaches as its centerpiece, efficient use ismade of the sites with revenue resulting from charging an entry fee tothe complex and other revenues resulting from the complex' activities.It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the ultimategoal of the publicly accessible urban beach complex is a profitable use.

As referenced herein, a “tropical-style lagoon” is a large water bodywith crystal clear waters, with a water tonality and coloration rangingfrom turquoise to emerald, which is naturally generated in tropicalsettings (i.e., near the tropics) where depths range from 0.5 meters andup to 6 meters or higher. Such tropical-style lagoons have light-coloredbottoms, generally from light colored sand, wherein their depthdifference creates different tonalities within the same water bodies,with clearer waters at shallower depths and more intense-colored watersat deeper depths. These tropical-style lagoons constitute the typicalscenery of the Caribbean as internationally recognized and as known tothe average public.

Also, as used herein, the term “urban” refers to a type of setting andlocation that has road connections and access, and that is surroundedwith a population of at least 200,000 people within a 30-mile radius.

One advantage of the present invention is creating a piece of tropicalparadise in cities in a cost-efficient way, by providing a publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex with a centerpiece largetropical-style pristine-clear man-made lagoon that allows generatingrecreational, cultural, sports, educational, and commercial activitiesaround the lagoon; and therefore provide a desirable meeting point inthe 21^(st) century.

A further advantage of the invention is providing a method forefficiently utilizing sites such as vacant land, sites that arecurrently underutilized, or that are contiguous or nearby educational,sports, recreational, or commercial venues. The method of the presentinvention transforms such sites into tropical paradises by creatingurban beach entertainment complexes with a man-made tropical-stylepristine-clear lagoon and white sandy beaches as its centerpiece,wherein efficient use is made of the sites with a potential profitresulting from charging an entry fee to the complex (as well as revenuesfrom the complex' other activities).

These cost-efficient publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplexes represent a completely new concept that allow people to visita vacation-like space anywhere in the world, even just a few blocks awayfrom home, providing a solution for the growing demand for newrecreational spaces and beach-like retreats in sites that were not usedfor this purpose before. Complexes constructed in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention transform sites into a recreationalfamily destination, and upgrade any venue into the next generation ofentertainment. For example, if one were to ask 50 years ago where didpeople went to work out, people responded that they went to the park, orthat they went for a run in the street, and when asked today peoplerespond that they go to the gym. In the same way, when people want to goto the beach, they generally have to travel long distances by car or byplane, and have to spend a significant time for transportation. However,the present invention creates a beach that is located close to theirhomes and therefore it will represent a major change in people'slifestyle.

These publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complexes and theircenterpiece large pristine-clear lagoons with a tropical look and feelprovide an incomparable aesthetical landscape, with turquoise coloredwaters of vast dimensions that produce a relaxing and idyllic sensation.Therefore, these settings create an extremely attractive and spectacularlocation, where the surroundings can be used for activities that todayare held in considerably less attractive places and with considerablyinferior overall conditions. Therefore, these urban beach recreationcomplexes, and their centerpiece large pristine-clear lagoons with atropical look and feel should become the meeting point of the 21^(st)century.

I. Difference with Existing Locations/Activities

As previously noted, the era in which confined places, such as malls andmovie theaters are used as gathering and meeting points is declining. Bycreating and operating an urban beach recreation complex with a tropicalambiance including a pristine-clear lagoon surrounded by sandy beaches,an incomparable setting for a 21st century meeting place is created.Accordingly, the urban beach recreational complexes may replaceconventional promenades, and public parks with an urban beach settingwhere different cultural, recreational, educational, and commercialactivities will take place.

With respect to shopping malls, as previously mentioned, customertendencies have changed, with consumers spending more on experiencessuch as travel, entertainment and food. This, along with the increasingtrend of online shopping, has led to the closure of many stores andmalls around the world. By having these publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complexes with a man-made pristine-clear lagoon with atropical look and feel as its centerpiece, and incorporating shoppingcenters in its surroundings, this solution can help preserve the mallbusiness by providing more than simply a point-of-sale to customers(e.g., by providing a new and transformational shopping experience). Thecustomers will be able to enjoy a full day at the mall, either shopping,eating, lounging or relaxing in common areas (the term “hanging out” isoften used to describe these sorts of activities in connection with amall). The customers will, at the same time, be able to use alladditional amenities and enjoy a beach day with tropical surroundings.This is unprecedented and it is anticipated to have a considerableimpact on this market, where successful shopping center designs wouldincorporate these urban beach recreation complexes, which compriseentertainment, dining, and leisure components. Shopping centers need toprovide unique and memorable experiences that will keep customers comingback frequently. Therefore, malls that are looking to renew theirofferings and become part of the 21^(st) century meeting point, willfind it desirable to build and incorporate publicly accessible urbanbeach complexes in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Additionally, activities such as jogging and walking have been held inclosed spaces or in public parks with vegetation, but there is noworldwide reference to publicly accessible urban beach settings thatprovide the opportunity to appreciate a beautiful tropical-stylecrystalline lagoon similar to tropical seas.

Still further, there is a growing demand for outdoor weddings in idyllicsettings and a movement away from closed and confined wedding venues.One popular alternative is a tropical beach wedding. Accordingly, apublicly accessible urban beach developed according to the principles ofthe present invention may provide a popular location for weddingceremonies and celebrations.

Other activities and events that have been normally held in lessattractive locations are concerts, which are held either in closedstadiums and arenas, or in open vacant sites that are conditioned onlyfor such events, and generally do not have beautiful landscapes orsurroundings.

A complex constructed in accordance with the present invention willcreate a beautiful setting and include a large number of activitiessurrounding the centerpiece tropical-style lagoon and that will revolvearound it. The features of the complex may include nighttimeillumination, bars and restaurants to meet with friends and family,screens, stages, and amphitheaters to house different recreational,cultural, educational, or sport activities—all leading to an environmentin which it is possible to have a wonderful experience and to improvepeople's lifestyle.

II. Difference with Pools and Water Parks

It is important to note that these publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complexes will be very different from conventional waterparks. Current water parks have a completely different concept as theirmain objective is providing slides, rides and water features forvisitors. Such water parks do not provide a tropical environment with abeach-like look and feel, but rather provide visitors a set of rides andexperiences within the park. On the other hand, the publicly accessibleurban beach entertainment complexes of the present invention aim toprovide a centerpiece contemplative man-made tropical, pristine-clearlagoon that enables different recreational, cultural, sports,educational, and commercial activities to be conducted in itssurroundings. These activities simply would not otherwise exist withoutthe centerpiece lagoon. Therefore, instead of having a water park withseveral small-sized pools and rides operating under conventionalswimming pool technology, the urban beach entertainment complex providesa meeting point of the 21^(st) century by enabling a series ofrecreational, cultural, sports, educational, and commercial activitiesto happen around the centerpiece lagoon with a beautiful and invitingsetting.

In terms of the technologies used to build and operate the centerpiecetropical-style pristine-clear lagoon, it is important to understand thatconventional swimming pools do not provide the conditions for theseidyllic beach lifestyle amenities to exist. Even though a pool mayprovide a swimmable body of water, it does not resolve the keyparameters required to generate a beach-like look and feel, an urbanbeach entertainment complex, and the sensation of being in a tropicalsetting.

Additionally, water park costs are much more expensive and considerablyhigher than for an urban beach recreation center as the ones from thepresent invention.

For example, a water park in South Dakota that includes three smallwater features of approximately 1,000 m², 600 m², and 700 m² (2,300 m²in total) using swimming pool technology has an estimated constructioncost of around $5,000,000 (only considering the three water features andassociated equipment), wherein an urban beach entertainment complex witha lagoon of 1.2 hectares (12,000 m²) would have an estimatedconstruction cost of about $1,800,000 (only considering the centerpiecelagoon and associated equipment).

Additionally, the operation cost of the referred water park is estimatedas $20,000 per month considering electricity and chemicals, wherein theoperation cost of the referred 1.2 hectare centerpiece lagoon would beestimated as $4,000 per month considering electricity and chemicals.This is based on a study conducted by the independent engineering firmStantec, who designed and built such waterpark located in South Dakota.

Contrary to conventional public swimming pools, these publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complexes, with large man-madepristine-clear lagoons have a number of advantages as described in thefollowing Table 1.

TABLE 1 Conventional Swimming Man-Made Large Pristine Description PoolClear Lagoon Sizes Small sizes, where usually the At least about 3,000m2, largest water parks have preferably at least about 8,000 m²-aboutswimming pools with areas of 10,000 m² of 1,000 m²-1,500 m² watersurface Construction costs Prohibitive for large surfaces Low cost, doesnot require a and volumes using current complete thick concretematerials and techniques of bottom as conventional swimming poolsswimming pool construction standards Electricity use Very high due tointensive At least 50% less than the requirement of filtration ofelectricity consumption from the complete water volume 4 swimming poolstimes per day Chemical use Very high due to intensive At least 50% lessthan the requirement of chemical use chemical consumption from in poolsto maintain a swimming pools permanent and high chlorine level of 1 ppmin the complete water volume Shapes Artificial looking due to use Curvedshapes, round of right angles, straight lines, geometries, naturallooking and rectangular shapes Use of beach areas with sand Very unusualYes, in order to create a tropical-style look and feel Color of thewater Artificial looking color due to Natural looking color due toshallower depths more intense tonalities caused by deeper depths Wavemotion No natural wave motion Natural wave motion similar generation dueto small sizes to the sea due to fetch length and no fetch length tothat enables the generation of generate larger wave motion naturallooking waves Practice of water sports Not possible due to small Yessizes and low depths Chemical smell Yes, high due to the use of a Notnoticeable in most of the permanent chemical residual lagoon,significantly fewer chlorine levels chemicals are used, producing littleto no chemical smell Tropical setting Not commonly surrounded Yes,surrounded by a man- by tropical settings (unless made tropicalenvironment located in an actual tropical environment) Use of docks andpiers Not applicable Yes, to access deeper parts of the lagoon topractice watersports and/or contemplate its vastness Look & feel Smallpools with high Large pristine-clear lagoons concrete use, similar toand white sandy beaches, backyard pools resembling the Caribbean

The aforementioned swimming pool construction and operation technologieshave been always used in water parks. As noted above, water parks havedifferent objectives, construction methods, operation technologies, andmany other characteristics that separate them from the urban beachentertainment complex of the present invention. Several differences ofthe present technology compared to conventional water parks aredescribed in the following Table 2.

TABLE 2 Urban Beach Recreation Description Conventional Water ParkComplex Use Temporal and sporadic use Purpose of meeting point forfrequent everyday use Activities Mostly short rides involving Cultural,sports, recreational, water commercial, and educational activities willbe found throughout the urban beach recreational complex AdditionalAmenities and Basic food and shopping Shopping centers, facilitiesrelated to the water park restaurants, gyms, bars, event centers, andother facilities overlooking the centerpiece tropical-style lagoon, withthe goal of becoming the meeting point of the 21^(st) century, wheresuch amenities and facilities are arranged and configured to be directedtoward the centerpiece lagoon Cultural events Not applicable Yes, withconcerts and other cultural activities within the urban beach recreationcomplex Hours of Use Daytime limited to warm Daytime and nighttime useweather with different activities Look & feel Conventional pools withLarge centerpiece pristine- high concrete use, focused clear lagoon andwhite sandy on children and offering beaches with the goal of shortrides, with becoming the meeting point rollercoasters, water slides, ofthe 21st century and similar rides Use of vertical structures Large useof imposing Low use of vertical vertical structures - e.g., structuressuch as water slides and similar features Use of watercraft Not found orapplicable Yes, with the use of small and large watercraft foractivities such as sailing, boating, canoeing, rowing, kayaking, amongothers Practice of aquatic sports Not found or applicable Yes, such asthe use of kiteboards, practicing water skiing (barefoot skiing, cableskiing, jet skiing), flyboarding, paddleboarding, parasailing,wakeboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, among others Construction costsUsually relatively shallow Low cost, does not require a pools with thickconcrete complete thick concrete walls and bottom, with costs bottom asrequired by up to 10 times larger than conventional swimming pool thatof the tropical-style construction standards lagoons of the presentinvention Water treatment Use of conventional Use of innovativetechnologies swimming pool technology technologies with lowerelectricity and chemical consumption than swimming pools Overall settingSimilar to swimming pools Natural look similar to a tropical settingShapes Generally right angles, Curved shapes, round straight lines,rectangular geometries, natural looking shapes Use of beach areas withsand Very unusual Yes, in order to create a tropical-style look & feelwith the beach areas and additional rest areas having a surface of atleast 2,500 m² Wave motion No natural surface wave Allows natural wavemotion motion generation due to similar to the sea due to small sizesand no fetch fetch length that enables the length to generate largergeneration of natural looking wave motion waves Overall setting Notcommonly surrounded Yes, surrounded by a tropical by tropical settingenvironment and the use of docks and piers Recreational, social,cultural Not applicable Yes meeting point

By creating these publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplexes and generating a beach lifestyle anywhere in the world in acost-efficient, sustainable way, it may be possible to generate valueand increase the overall appraisal of the contiguous or nearby sites. Inaddition, the creation of these complexes may thereby also increase thevalue of nearby buildings, houses, and any other facilities or amenitiesthat are close to the complex. Appraisal may be even higher when thereare commercial or residential buildings, such as temporary accommodationfacilities like hotels, overlooking the urban beach recreational complexand its tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon directly, due to thebeautiful scenery and the sensation of being on a beach-front property.The urban beach recreational center may also create and increase valuein the entire zone where it is located, as it increases urban value dueto the creation of beach-life close to people's homes.

III. Urban Beach Entertainment Complex and Lagoon Parameters

According to the present invention, a man-made publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex is provided, wherein the complex comprises acenterpiece large tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon with a tropicallook and feel.

It is important to note that these urban beach entertainment complexesfrom the present invention are not anticipated to include the use ofartificial surf wave generation technologies in the tropical-styleman-made lagoon. Use of such technologies and devices would interferewith practicing other types of watersports such as boating, kayaking,paddle boarding and use of small watercraft. However, it will also beappreciated by those of skill in the art that an artificial surf wavegenerator might be employed in an adjacent pool area not connected tothe lagoon (and/or connected by a narrow channel).

The tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon according to the urban beachentertainment complex of the present invention has a bottom, aperimeter, and a minimum surface of at least about 3,000 m2, preferablyat least about 8,000 m²—about 10,000 m² in order to create a beachlifestyle and a tropical look and feel in the publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex. The use of smaller lagoons would not mirrora tropical setting. Instead, it would resemble a conventional backyardor hotel swimming pool that does not provide the conditions necessary tofeel immersed in an idyllic beach lifestyle. In an embodiment of theinvention, locations that may have increased prices per square meter ofland, or locations that have high population rates and therefore thereis less land available for building the urban beach recreational centerof the present invention, the large centerpiece lagoon may have smallersizes. Preferably, the large centerpiece lagoon has a minimum size ofabout 3,000 m2 provided that the complex is located in area with highpopulation density that results in low availability of space or higherland prices per square meter, among other factors.

Additionally, the tropical-style lagoon has a maximum surface of about200,000 m² since larger surface areas do not result in the desired lookand feel. For example, when the lagoon areas surpass 200,000 m² and aperson looks toward the opposite shore, he or she may not see theopposite waterfront area along with additional facilities and amenities.Thereby, the desired waterfront recreational experience as disclosed inthe present invention is not created. It will be appreciated by those ofskill in the art that the lagoon may be arranged and configured in sucha manner as to have a length which is longer than a width. In such aninstance, larger sizes may be constructed while still achieving thedesired look and feel.

Turning now to FIG. 1A, a representative urban beach recreationalcomplex 1 with a centerpiece tropical-style man-made lagoon 2 isillustrated. The lagoon 2 comprises at least one zero entry beach area 3a, a bathing zone 3 b, and a water sports zone 3 c, each of which arelocated within the large tropical-style man-made lagoon 2. FIG. 2illustrates a schematic side view of an embodiment of the zero-entrybeach edge 3 a.

Now with reference to FIGS. 1A and 2, the bathing zone 3 b is adjacentthe zero-entry beach edge 3 a, wherein the zero-entry edge preferablyresembles the natural, soft slope of a tropical beach or a natural lake.The zero-entry edge creates an entry into the lagoon starting generallyat an elevation slightly above the mean water level 4 a, passing throughthe mean water level at the lagoon perimeter 4 b and continuing to dropbelow the mean water surface toward the center 4 c of the lagoon. Theslope of the zero-entry edge, represented by the angle α designated at 5in FIGS. 2 and 3) is defined by the angle between the horizontal line(generally parallel to the mean water surface) and the sloped beachentry. Preferably the angle is between 5% and 30%. This range generallyresembles natural beach edges with soft slopes and provides people onthe beach area 6 and bathers an unobstructed and good view of the vastcrystal-clear waters.

Also, the bathing zone 3 b includes a localized disinfection system thatprovides an increased chemical concentration in such zone. The localizeddisinfection system comprises a dispensing outlet arranged andconfigured to apply disinfecting chemicals to the water volume withinthe bathing area. The localized disinfection system is best seen in FIG.3 wherein a perimeter chemical application system 7 a and bottomchemical application system 7 b are shown. The chemical applicationsystem includes one or more systems selected from the group comprisingnozzles, injectors, jets, piping, and inlets.

The chemical application system may be located in the perimeter of thelagoon and generally bounded by the swimming zone, whereby the primaryinfluence of the disinfecting chemicals is mainly within the swimmingzone. The chemical application system may be preferably located in thebottom of the swimming area, including a plurality of dispensingoutlets, with the dispensing outlets being located at the bottom of thelagoon within the swimming zone, whereby the primary influence of thedisinfecting chemicals is mainly within the swimming zone. There canalso be combinations of perimeter chemical application systems 7 a andbottom chemical application systems 7 b. It will be appreciated that thenumber and specific location and configuration of the selected chemicalapplication system is best defined on a case by case basis, taking intoaccount the potential number of bathers, water volume, water flowswithin the swimming area into the rest of the tropical-style lagoon,among others.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the water sports zone 3 c comprises a minimumwater depth range of at least greater than 1.5 meters and preferablygreater than 1.4 meters. This minimum depth allows the practice of watersports that would not be possible in conventional small-sized swimmingpools. The water sports zone can have a variety of different slopes atthe bottom, depending on its design and configuration. With total lagoon2 size between 10,000 and 200,000 m², a series of water sports can bepracticed in the water sports zone 3 c, such as sailing, boating,canoeing, kayaking, tubing, water skiing (barefoot skiing, cable skiing,jet skiing,), flyboarding, paddleboarding, parasailing, rowing,wakeboarding, windsurfing, kiteboarding, kitesurfing, among others.Preferably, for practicing aquatic sports such as water ski and similar,the size of the lagoon 2 must be approximately 15,000 m2 or more.

As previously mentioned, conventional swimming pools located in waterparks are small, usually in the range of 1,000-1,500 m², with maximumdepths of generally less than 1.5 meters. Therefore, they do not conveythe feeling of being in the beach or generate a beach lifestyle, and donot allow the practice of several water sports. On the contrary, thetropical-style pristine-clear lagoon 2 constructed in accordance withthe principle of the present invention, in the deepest part of the watersports zone 3 c, has a minimum bottom depth of 1.4 meters—and in much ofthe water sports zone 3 c are often even deeper. This allows practicinginnumerable water sports with various craft that are not found inconventional swimming pools.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B, severalpossible embodiments of a complex are shown, with similar items andstructures identified with similar designations. In the variousembodiments, at least one sand beach area 6 is provided, which surroundsthe large tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon 2, wherein the sand has alight color resembling a tropical beach. In a preferred embodiment, thesand colors are similar or in the range of the following colorsaccording to the RAL color scale: RAL 9001, RAL 9002, RAL 9003, RAL9010, RAL 9016, RAL 9018, RAL 1001, RAL 1014, RAL 1004 or similarcolors.

The sandy beach areas 6 are generally configured directly in front ofthe zero-edge beach edge 3 a located in at least a portion of theperimeter of the centerpiece lagoon, in order to provide the feeling ofcoming out of the water onto the beach. The beach areas 6 and additionalrest areas have a minimum surface are to allow recreational,educational, sports, and commercial activities. The beach areas 6 andadditional rest areas have a surface preferably of at least 2,500 m²which allows significant use of such area for different activities suchas concerts, plays, screenings, sports, among other activities andevents.

Also, contrary to conventional pools that have hard edges and closedshapes, the tropical-style centerpiece lagoon is preferably designed tohave curved shapes with round corners that are associated with naturalwater bodies and beaches, conveying the feeling of being in an idyllicbeach paradise.

Further, in an embodiment of the invention at least one portion of theurban beach entertainment complex comprises the use of trees and plantsto create a tropical look. In a preferred embodiment, the vegetation 8resembling a tropical setting is located in the beach areas oradditional rest areas surrounding or nearby the zero-entry beach edges 3a and/or sand beach areas 6.

Referring to FIG. 8, the urban beach entertainment complex 1 furtherincludes a water supply system 9 operatively connected to a watersupply, comprising a source, pumps, devices, and other appropriate fluidconduits for supplying filling and make-up water to the lagoon 2. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the devices andconduits for supplying filling and make-up water to the lagoon includepiping, nozzles, waterfalls, inlets and outlets, and valves, amongothers. The water make-up system is preferably arranged and configuredto supply filling and make-up water to the lagoon in order to maintain awater volume of at least 80% of the designed water volume permanently inthe water body.

The make-up water must have iron and manganese concentrations of up to 2ppm in order to provide the centerpiece tropical-style pristine-clearlagoon with suitable water that will not change its appearance whenundergoing treatment. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the artthat, for example, water with high iron and manganese concentrationscause a very noticeable color change when being treated. Also, turbidityof the make-up water should not be higher than 8 NTU in order to avoidhaving cloudy water (i.e., such water will not provide a tropical lookand feel and transparency). Since the levels of filtration in thecenterpiece lagoon of the present invention are lower than the ones usedin swimming pools, it is important to control the inlet water qualityand that it complies with the above parameters.

The man-made tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon 2 of the presentinvention, is preferably the centerpiece of the urban beach recreationalcomplex 1 and is built and maintained with innovative technologies thatachieve low construction and operation costs. Such costs are up to 10times lower than construction costs associated with conventional thickconcrete or tile bottoms used in swimming pools. Further, such operationcosts are up to 10 times lower than conventional swimming pool operationcosts that require filtration of the complete water volume 4 times perday.

By having low construction and operation costs, and at the same timeallowing to achieve an aesthetically pleasing and high physicochemicaland microbiological water quality, a publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex 1 is provided in a cost efficient way.Accordingly, the method of the present invention provides acost-efficient use of sites that are vacant, previously underutilized,or that are contiguous to, or nearby recreational, educational, sports,or commercial venues, providing thus profitability to such sites.

In order to provide a cost efficient urban beach entertainment complex,the construction methods for building the lagoon shell must typicallynot include a concrete bottom of the type used in construction methodsfor swimming pools in the majority of the lagoon. Conventional swimmingpool construction requires that the shell of the pool (bottom and walls)is built out of concrete with a specific thickness, generally with aminimum of 2 to 6 inches, and that may be reinforced in order to providestructural stability and resistance based on the type of soil foundbelow the pool. Also, such bottom concrete is generally either paintedwith a waterproof coating or is covered with tiles, making theconstruction process more difficult and expensive.

On the other hand, the present invention requires that a large portionof the bottom of the large centerpiece tropical-style lagoon is coveredwith a flexible plastic material to provide waterproofing andcontainment properties. Preferably, the bottom surface of the watersports zone within the tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon isconstructed such that at least 80% of its surface is covered with aflexible plastic material. The plastic material is selected from thegroup comprising polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, rubbers,polypropylene, among others. In the preferred embodiment, polyethylenemay be utilized. The color of the plastic material ranges from purewhite to a light blue or light brown color.

The bottom of the tropical-style lagoon may be additionally constructedwith different materials to provide additional layers. In one embodimentof the invention, the bottom of the large lagoon is covered with amineral layer that creates an essentially stagnant water body forholding the water volume. In another embodiment of the invention, thebottom can be covered with a thin layer of shotcrete, with a thicknessof less than 6 inches.

In certain embodiments, other materials can be used instead of, or incombination with the flexible plastic material in the bottom of thelarge centerpiece lagoon to provide waterproofing and containmentproperties. Thus, portions of the bottom of the large centerpiece lagooncan be instead constructed with materials having waterproofing andcontainment properties such as concrete that is thinner than forconventional swimming pool construction, plaster, stucco, orcombinations thereof.

While the plastic liner is a preferred material in terms of cost, insome environments, or if cost is no object, concrete or similarmaterials may be used in all or portions of the centerpiece lagoon.

It is also important to mention that solutions including concrete orshotcrete generally have high maintenance schedules, and may requirere-coating or cleaning such surfaces while not being submerged in waterperiodically, which would result in having to drain and refill the largewater bodies which may take months to finalize. Therefore, the use ofplastic materials and its less requirement for non-submerged maintenancerepresents an advantage compared to other solutions.

It is important to note that currently, technologies exist for buildingthe large tropical-style centerpiece lagoon for less than $600,000 (US)per acre (such amount will vary based on the country, total size, andspecific local variables), and to maintain an excellent physicochemicaland microbiological water quality using minimum amount of chemicals andenergy, in a cost-efficient manner. As noted above, and in comparison, aconventional water park located in South Dakota, U.S., with threerelatively small water features of a combined area of 2,300 m² has atotal direct construction cost of more than US$5 million (resulting inmore than US$20,000,000 per hectare in a direct comparison and onlyconsidering the water feature surfaces). This is based on a studyconducted by the independent engineering firm Stantec, who designed andbuilt such waterpark located in South Dakota.

Also, the publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complexcomprises a low-cost treatment system that provides a water treatmenttechnology for treating the water in the lagoon wherein if the lagoonhas a surface less than about 20,000 m2, the water treatment systemcomprises at least one centralized filtration system having the capacityto filter the complete volume of water within a 24 hours timeframe; andfor surfaces larger than about 20,000 m2, the water treatment system isarranged and configured to utilize at least 50% less electricitycompared to conventional swimming pool centralized filtration anddisinfection systems. The water treatment technology comprises afiltration system that has a capacity and filtration water volume fortreating the water in the lagoon, wherein if the lagoon has a surfaceless than 20,000 m2, the water treatment system comprises at least onecentralized filtration system having the capacity to filter at least thecomplete volume of water within a 24 hours timeframe; and for surfaceslarger than about 20,000 m2, the water treatment system is at least 50%smaller than for conventional swimming pool filtration systems thatfilter the complete water volume four (4) times per day. For example,using conventional pool technology, for a 30,000 m² lagoon with a volumeof 45,000 m³, the filtration water volumes would be 180,000 m³ per day(in order to achieve filtration of the complete water volume four (4)times per day=45,000 m³×4=180,000 m³/day). On the other hand, for sizeslarger than about 20,000 m2, the present invention's preferred watertreatment technology includes a filtration system that filters at least50% less than that of a conventional swimming pool filtration system.Following the same example, the filtration capacity of the presentinvention and water volume would be a maximum of 90,000 m³/day, therebyachieving considerable electricity and equipment savings.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the filtration of the largewater body is performed so that the complete water volume is filtered,where conventional swimming pools need a high number of inlets andoutlets in order to effectively circulate the water through thefiltration system so that the complete water volume is filtered.

In an embodiment of the invention, the centerpiece tropical-style lagoonuses a modular treatment system 10, wherein the modular treatment systemincludes one or more elements selected from the group comprising acontainerized machine room, skid mounted systems, and/or water treatmentequipment. In a preferred embodiment, such modular treatment system isarranged and configured to be plug and play. This facilitates itsconnection to other elements, equipment, systems, piping, andstructures. In another embodiment of the invention, the modulartreatment system 10 is portable and can be deployed and installed onsite in a short period of time. As another advantage, the modulartreatment system 10 may be operated on a temporal basis, depending onseasonality, its configuration and demand. An example of a preferredmodular treatment system which may be utilized in connection with thepresent invention is a set of containers that have been manufactured inorder to house the different systems and equipment that can bemanufactured locally or outsourced from other cities or even countries.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the low-cost treatmentsystem does not generate a noticeable chemical smell in most of thelagoon as in conventional swimming pools that have a permanent 1 ppmresidual chlorine level throughout the complete water volume. Sincethere is practically no noticeable chemical smell in most of the lagoon,it helps achieve the object of providing the look and feel of an idyllicbeach with white sandy beaches resembling the Caribbean beaches. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, the lagoon does not present anoticeable chemical smell in its majority as in conventional pools thatmaintain a permanent residual chlorine level of 1 ppm provided that thelagoon has a surface area larger than about 20,000 m2.

In another embodiment of the invention, the water treatment technologyfor operating the centerpiece tropical-style lagoon must use at least50% less chemicals than a conventional swimming pool disinfection systemthat requires maintaining at least 1 ppm of chlorine permanently in allof the water volume, such as conventional public swimming poolregulations from the CDC (U.S. Center for Disease Control), Rule 64E-9from the Florida Department of Health, and Title 22—Division 4—Chapter20 of the California Code of Regulations, among others.

Still further, the centerpiece tropical-style lagoon 2 may preferablyhave a natural surface wave motion due to its large surface. Thehorizontal distance of the lagoon 2 in the direction of the wind cancreate a fetch length, where the fetch length is the horizontal distancealong the open water over which the wind blows and generates waves.Therefore, the look of the tropical-style lagoon's waves allows toachieve a natural look since the waves are similar to the sea—and arevery different to the ones created in conventional small-sized swimmingpools. Depending on the horizontal distance that is parallel to the windblowing over the lagoon, the waves created over the lagoon will behigher and similar to the water movement over the sea. The wave heightincreases exponentially with the fetch length and wind speed, which isan effect not achievable in conventional pools with small sizes.

In an embodiment of the invention, the tropical-style pristine-clearlagoon operates in an essentially closed cycle. In this embodiment, thewater volume is not significantly renewed through recirculation with awater source (e.g., a well) and/or an open body of water or river.

In an embodiment of the invention, the tropical-style pristine-clearlagoon has a minimum vertical transparency of 1.2 meters in order toresemble the tropical seas with pristine-clear waters. Such depth allowsgenerating an intense color with crystal clear waters, where the bottom11 of the tropical-style lagoon allows providing such intense color andtonality due to the effect of the sun's reflection over the bottom anddue to the transparency of the water.

There are new and innovative methods for building and maintaining largewater bodies with excellent microbiological and physicochemical waterquality and high transparency for different uses, which have beenprotected by patents in the U.S. and around the world, such as describedand shown in the following granted U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,820,055, 8,070,942,8,062,514, 8,790,518, 9,708,822, 9,470,007, 9,080,342, 8,465,651,9,062,471, 8,753,520, 9,957,693 and 9,470,008. Each of the foregoingpatents are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part hereof.

Such innovative methods, systems, and apparatuses have very lowconstruction costs, very low operation costs due to the use of minimalamounts of chemicals and energy for maintaining water quality, and as analternative, may be used for building and/or maintaining the largepristine-clear lagoons with a tropical look and feel. These patentedmethods, systems, and apparatuses can be used for building and/ormaintaining the large pristine-clear lagoon 2 either by using alltechnologies, or some of them, or parts as described in suchtechnologies.

The aforementioned incorporated patents describe the various operationsand processes for treating the water in large lagoons in a manner whichefficiently and economically maintains the water. While reference shouldbe had to such patents for detailed descriptions, a brief description isnext presented as a representative method to maintain the water in thepublic access lagoon. First, the water treatment and filtration processrequires collecting water and storing such water in a container having abottom able to be thoroughly cleaned by a suction device. Second, duringa 7 day interval the process requires treating the water in thecontainer by periodically adding disinfectant agents to said water toestablish an ORP of at least 500 mV for a period of time dependent onthe temperature of the water being treated. Third, the method requiresactivating the operation of mobile suction means in order to suction aportion of said water in the container containing settled solids toprevent the thickness of settled material from exceeding 3 mm. Lastly,the method requires filtering such portion of water suctioned by themobile suction means and returning the filtered water to said container.Using these processes, at least 50% less filtration capacity and watervolume may be filtered compared to a conventional swimming poolfiltration system are utilized that requires filtering the completewater volume 4 times per day.

It is important to mention that the previously mentioned patentedtechnologies have been used in real estate developments which havecompletely different concepts and configurations. In addition, suchdevelopments do not consider massive public usage and do not create ameeting point of the 21^(st) century. Instead, the use in real estatedevelopments is very different since such lagoons are intended for useby owners and residents, do not have a public controlled access (e.g., aticket entry fee) for large scale use, and may not be located in siteswith a large urban population concentration. Therefore, they cannotgenerate the meeting point of the 21^(st) century with surroundingamenities and facilities such as restaurants, amphitheaters, stages,kiosks, rental centers, shopping centers, gyms, promenades, bars, coffeeshops, among others. Accordingly, the model for real estate is quitedifferent. However, if there is a real estate development, hotel, orprivate development near the publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex, or in one zone in the perimeter of thecenterpiece tropical-style lagoon that has private access to such zone,the principles of the present invention require at least one publicaccess zone—that is separated from such developments—and that has acontrolled access for public use as a mixed use.

Therefore, as it has been mentioned thorough the specification, swimmingpool technologies cannot be scaled into large water bodies. For largewater bodies there are some other technologies used—such as the onesused in surf lagoons, aesthetic or ornamental lagoons—but which do notachieve the pristine clear nor water quality conditions of the presentinvention, and would not be able to create the urban beach entertainmentcomplex of the present invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, evaporation control chemicals areadded to the lagoon's water, which allows reducing natural evaporationup to 50% compared with natural evaporation rates. It will beappreciated that the chemicals must be approved for use in recreationalwater bodies. Examples of a preferred evaporation control chemicalinclude alcohol based evaporation control chemicals or silicon basedevaporation control chemicals, which create a non-visible layer on topof the surface water layer and therefore reduces evaporation by avoidingthe direct contact between the water surface and the surrounding air.The control chemicals operate under different temperatures and are ableto withstand wind conditions. The evaporation control chemical isrequired to be NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved for use inrecreational water bodies, either being approved under NSF 50 (forswimming pool chemicals) or NSF 60 (for drinking water chemicals). Anexample of a preferred evaporation control chemical is the Heatsavr®Crystal Lagoons Formula, manufactured by the company Flexible Solutionsof Canada. Such chemical may be added manually, by the water make-upsystem 9 and/or the modular treatment system 10.

The urban beach entertainment complex also comprises at least one accesscontrol system 12 which preferably limits and controls user access on adaily basis to at least a portion of the complex. The access controlsystem can be located anywhere within the publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex but preferably is located in at least oneportion of the physical barrier 16. The access control system 12includes one or more access control locations 13 that have a controlsystem 14 to allow controlled entry to the public through such location.Such control system may include gated entries, turnstiles, biometricsystems, access readers, security barriers, biometric systems, amongothers. In a preferred embodiment, the control system comprises a gatedentry with a turnstile. In an embodiment, the access control system isconfigured to permit entry of individuals into at least a portion of thelarge centerpiece lagoon, or into the at least one ancillary facilitybased on information received by an ID, an ID card, an entry card, awearable bracelet, by association to an admissions program, throughmembership, as guests, with seasonal passes, by participating inactivities or facilities located within the same complex, or by a mobilephone carried by the individuals. In another embodiment of theinvention, the ancillary facility is a temporary accommodation facilitythat, when a user is registered as a guest or visitor to such facility,may have also access to at least a portion of the large centerpiecelagoon. For example, the fee of the ticket to access the largecenterpiece lagoon can be included in the fee to access the complex,such as the fee to access an entertainment facility like a water park,zoo, amusement park, or a commercial facility such as a hotel.Additionally, FIG. 9 shows a sequence 15 in which steps 15 a through 15c allow to perform a controlled access upon payment of a fee into atleast a portion of the urban beach entertainment complex.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic of an embodiment of the present invention,where a physical barrier 16 limits the entry of people to the urbanbeach entertainment complex 1, and allowing access to the complexthrough the access control locations 13.

The public will access the urban beach entertainment complex through theaccess control locations 13, as the rest of the limits of the urbanbeach entertainment complex are required to be limited physically toavoid non-controlled access.

FIG. 15 shows and embodiment of the access control system 12 showing apoint of sale 24, used when people are paying the entry fee. In anotherembodiment, people may use their pre-purchased tickets or seasonalpasses to access at least a portion of the urban beach entertainmentcomplex, and may not require paying an entry fee on site. In the shownembodiment, a person buys a ticket on site, then optionally passesthrough a security screening 23, and then uses one of the access controllocations 13 comprising at least one control system 14, in this case aturnstile, to access the urban beach entertainment complex.

The access control system is configured to allow public access to thecomplex, and requires that a specific barrier is employed. Such barrieris defined as a physical limitation structure implemented at the limitsof the urban beach entertainment complex, or the portion of it that willbe controlled for access. The barrier may include one or morecombinations of elements selected from the group comprising fences,walls, moats, natural vegetation, buildings and portions of buildings,or other types of barriers in order to keep the public from accessingthe urban beach entertainment complex 1 through a location other thanthe access control system 13 locations. It will be appreciated that thebarriers will vary from complex to complex depending on the location andexisting structures (if any). It will also be appreciated that one wayemergency exits may be provided in areas of the barriers and/or exitswhich generally trigger warning horns and sirens.

Preferably, the access control system is configured to allow access toat least 500 people per hour into the urban beach entertainment complex1, or to a portion of the same. For example, for an urban beachentertainment complex 1 with a total area of 40,000 m², the accesscontrol system 12 may include two different access control locations 13,each one having at least four control systems 14 such as turnstiles thatallow the public to go through such turnstiles and access the urbanbeach entertainment complex at a combined rate of at least 500 peopleper hour. Preferably at least one of the control systems 14 and accesscontrol locations 13 can be opened or closed depending on public demand.

The urban beach entertainment complex also includes at least oneancillary facility selected from the group of commercial, recreational,educational, cultural, residential, and/or sports facilities surroundingthe centerpiece tropical-style man-made lagoon in order to allowdifferent activities to be held within the urban beach entertainmentcomplex. The ancillary facilities 17 are selected from the groupcomprising restaurants, shopping centers, event centers, gyms, stores,sport facilities 17 e, and educational or cultural venues based on itsconfiguration, among others. Ancillary facilities 17 are represented inFIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B. Such ancillary facilities andamenities may be sourced from a third party.

The urban beach entertainment complex further preferably includes atleast one beachfront amphitheater with stages and/or spaces for housingand/or showcasing different events, educational activities, concerts,cultural activities, sport events, and similar content. Also, the urbanbeach entertainment complex may comprise at least one large screen forshowcasing movies, sport events, conferences, simulcasts, live streamingof content, e-sports, educational activities, events, and similarcontent.

The urban beach entertainment complex from the present invention mayalso include an illumination system 18 (best seen in the perimeter ofthe lagoon 2 in FIG. 8), wherein the tropical-style lagoon isilluminated in order to allow its use at nighttime or under enclosedstructures. Underwater illumination allows the clear delimitation of theperimeter of the lagoon 2 and also illuminates the water throughunderwater lights that create a completely new aesthetic look of thenightlife beach ambiance. The illumination system 18 comprises LEDunderwater strip lights or underwater spot lights. The illuminationsystem may be used throughout the complete perimeter of thetropical-style lagoon 2, or only in some portions of the lagoon. Anembodiment is depicted in FIG. 8, wherein the illumination system 18 isused on a portion of the lagoon 2 perimeter.

Docks 19 best seen in FIG. 8) may be provided within the pristine-clearlagoon, which is not the case in swimming pools, since thetropical-style pristine-clear lagoons allow the practice of aquaticsports and require docks to access deep portions of the lagoon. FIG. 8depicts the use of docks 19 within the tropical-style lagoon 2.

IV. Description of Method

Referring now to FIG. 10, a method of the present invention 20comprising steps 20 a to 20 g provides a method for an efficient use offacilities and land that are vacant, underutilized, or are contiguous ornearby recreational, educational, sports, or commercial venues byproviding a publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex with acenterpiece man-made tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon. The methodprovides for a revenue opportunity allowing for the creation of publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complexes that are be located inunderutilized or vacant sites with specific population density andaccess infrastructure, with the objective of generating the meetingpoint of the 21^(st) century.

The method of the present invention comprises searching and defining asite that has been underutilized or that has no use, wherein the siteselection is a key part of the method. Sites that can be selected forthis purpose comprise vacant land, underutilized land, and sites thatare contiguous or nearby diverse venues, such as recreational,educational, sports, and commercial venues.

Recreational, educational, sports, and commercial venues that may haveunderutilized contiguous sites comprise event arenas, amusement parks,water parks, museums, stadiums, golf courses, membership clubs, zoos,aquariums, shopping centers, university campuses, casinos, cruise shipports, speed tracks, horse race tracks, Olympic venues, among othersites.

The site according to the method of the present invention mustpreferably have a minimum surface of 16,000 m2 in order to create thepublicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex, and isstrategically located so that it has a minimum surrounding population of500,000 people within a 50-mile radius.

As seen in FIG. 11, an illustrative population density map is shown, bywhich the desired area may be determined in connection with the locationof the vacant and/or underutilized site by analyzing the populationdensity surrounding the location of the potential vacant and/orunderutilized site 21 within a 50-mile radius. FIG. 11 denotespopulation density by different color and/or pattern intensity withinthe image, wherein the selected location is surrounded by a dottedcircle line representing a 50-mile radius, and wherein the populationanalysis has been made and it has been determined that such area has apopulation density of at least 500,000 people.

The urban beach entertainment complex and method for providing efficientutilization of limited use land from the present invention aim to bringa new way of life and transform urban centers into the meeting point ofthe 21^(st) century, completely changing urban centers that have highnearby population and providing those people with the possibility ofbeing immersed in a tropical lifestyle close to their homes. These urbancenters target the nearby surrounding population, aiming for highrepetition rates of people going into the urban beach entertainmentcomplex to have a favorable experience, shop, participate in culturalactivities, watch movies, practice water sports, have lunch or dinner,grab a cup of coffee, or other activities. Creation of such complexesmay very well have an important impact as it is intended that such urbanbeach entertainment complexes will have significant attendance.

A few prophetic embodiments of how some aforementioned venues can beefficiently utilized with the present invention are shown in FIGS. 12A,12B, 13A, 13B, 14A, and 14B. FIGS. 12A and 12B depict one embodiment ofthe present invention, where a horse race track which has a largeunderutilized area inside the track 21 a. The underutilized area shownin FIG. 12A is transformed as shown in FIG. 12B into a beautiful areawith a centerpiece tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon 2, creating anurban beach entertainment complex 1. FIGS. 13A, 13B and 14A, 14B depictanother embodiment of the present invention, where a portion of parkinglots 21 b shown in FIGS. 13A and 13A are converted into an urban beachentertainment complex in FIGS. 13B and 14B having a centerpiecetropical-style pristine-clear lagoon 2.

It will be appreciated that access infrastructure, such as roads andpublic transportation, must be in place to transport visitors to thecomplexes (i.e., in order to be able to reach the complex at reasonablecosts and within a reasonable amount of time).

Additionally, the site can preferably have a predefined water source andsufficient availability for use. The type of water may be fresh,brackish, saline, or seawater, depending on availability.

Sources of water may be selected from the group comprising the sea,groundwater, potable water, surface water, wells, or others.

The water source should not be contaminated with industrial residualsthat require an extensive industrial pre-treatment and that cannot beremoved with simple and conventional pre-treatment methods such asoxidation or filtration processes. For example, the water source mustpreferably not be contaminated with industrial water residues such asAluminum and hydrocarbons. Extensive industrial pre-treatment systemsusually require the use of large sedimentation basins that also createan industrial appearance—which conflicts with the tropical beachsensation that is an objective of the present invention.

Once the site has been selected, the method creates the development of apublicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex 1 with a largeman-made tropical, pristine-clear lagoon 2 as it centerpiece. The lagoon2 preferably has the look and feel of tropical seas and beaches therebycreating an idyllic beach sensation. The tropical look and feel ambiancerefers to providing a feeling of being in an idyllic setting, with alarge water body and beach area, simulating, for example, the sensationof being in the Caribbean.

The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex comprises alow-cost treatment system that provides a water treatment technology fortreating the water in the lagoon wherein if the lagoon has a surface ofless than about 20,000 m2, the water treatment system comprises at leastone centralized filtration system having the capacity to filter thecomplete volume of water within a 24 hours timeframe; and for surfaceslarger than about 20,000 m2, the water treatment system uses at least50% less electricity compared to a conventional swimming poolcentralized filtration systems. The water treatment technology comprisesa filtration system where, if the water body has a surface less thanabout 20,000 m2, the water treatment system comprises at least onecentralized filtration system having the capacity to filter the completevolume of water within a 24 hours timeframe; and for surfaces largerthan about 20,000 m2, it has a capacity and filtration water volume thatis at least 50% smaller than that of conventional swimming poolfiltration systems (e.g., that filter the complete water volume 4 timesper day). Further, in an embodiment of the invention, the watertreatment technology for operating the centerpiece tropical-style lagoonmust use at least 50% less chemicals than a conventional swimming pooldisinfection system (e.g., that requires maintaining at least 1 ppm ofchlorine permanently throughout the water volume). Therefore, the lagoon2 presents less chemical smell than a conventional pool.

The urban beach entertainment complexes may, for example, be located inpublic parks. However, a physical barrier and/or enclosure must exist tohave a controlled public access into the urban beach entertainmentcomplex 1 or to a portion of it, such as a control system and accesscontrol locations 13.

Additionally, in order for the efficient use of the limited use site,facility or land, the method comprises charging an entry fee to allowaccess to at least a portion of the urban beach entertainment complex.Such fee can be charged previously to visiting the urban beachentertainment complex, or it can be charged on site based onavailability and other factors, such as demand, and total occupationrates, among others. The fees can be variable depending on age, numberof people within groups, seasonality, or others. In addition, fees maybe based on different season, monthly, weekly, or other passes. It willalso be appreciated that electronic ticketing using cell phones andother devices may be used in addition to printed materials and/or cards.It is appreciated that there may also be seasonal passes (such asweekly, monthly, or yearly passes) that may be purchased online orprevious to visiting the urban beach entertainment complex.

In an embodiment of the invention, the centerpiece lagoon andsurrounding facilities can be accessed publicly only after payment of anentry fee collected prior to entry. However, in some embodiments, it maydesirable for at least a portion of the entertainment, cafes, andrestaurant areas to be available to guests without payment of a fee. Inthose embodiments, users of the beach and water sports areas may becharged a fee for access to those areas.

Therefore, the method includes the opportunity to generate revenue forsites that have been underutilized or that have no current use such asvacant land, limited use land, and land that is contiguous or nearbyvenues such as recreational, educational, sports, and commercial venues,by creating a novel beach entertainment complex with a large tropical,pristine-clear lagoon as its centerpiece, and where there is controlledaccess and where a ticket/fee is charged to enter the site.

Based on the population within a 50-mile radius, and the amount ofdemand that the urban beach recreation complex will create, it isexpected that a minimum of 100,000 annual visitors will access thetropical-style setting, preferably 500,000 annual visitors, and a mostpreferred over 1,000,000 visitors per year. Visitors are anticipated andtargeted to be mainly from the surrounding population and are expectedto repeat their visit to the urban beach entertainment complex manytimes. Due to the beautiful and recreational nature of these beach-likesettings that allow relaxing, shopping, practicing water sports,swimming, eating, among other activities, it is expected that annualattendance will be massive, aiming for a large percentage of nearbypopulation, and also an additional percentage of tourists that willattend the publicly accessible urban beach recreational complexes.

It has been calculated that by creating a complex, utilizing theprinciples of the present invention, the number of visitors to such anurban beach entertainment complex may achieve attendance on the order of100,000 to 1,000,000 and up to 6,000,000 visitors per year. Based on themarket and socio-economic status of the cities, the entry fees areexpected to be in the range of USD$5 to USD$150, preferably in the rangeof USD$10 to USD$20, rendering a direct yearly income of USD$1,000,000to USD$120,000,000 only based on access tickets.

Therefore, for example, an urban beach recreational center with atropical-style centerpiece lagoon of 16,000 m² in size, with a yearlyvisitor number of 500,000 persons, and an entry fee of US$15 couldgenerate US$7,500,000 in direct revenue from tickets, where the totalconstruction cost of the centerpiece lagoon would be in the order ofUS$2,400,000 and annual operating costs would be less than $100,000 USDper year (considering chemicals and electricity).

V. Shopping Mall Example

As another prophetic example, it must be noted that the method of thepresent invention can be used in the shopping mall industry, wherein aportion of the parking lots located in currently underutilized shoppingmall space can be transformed into an urban beach entertainment complex.Three scenarios are derived from a project evaluation, including aconservative scenario, a base case scenario, and an upside scenario,wherein revenues and profits associated with installation, operation andentry-fee based access of the urban beach entertainment complex are asfollows in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Description Conservative Base Case Upside Attendance 250,000persons 500,000 persons 750,000 persons per year per year per year EntryTicket US$30 US$30 US$30 Gross Revenue US$30,000,000 US$60,000,000US$90,000,000 Years 1-4 Internal Rate of 67.3% 129.8% 172.1% ReturnReturn on Cost   32%   68%   105%

The scenarios set forth in Table 3 do not consider an event center,large restaurant areas, or sports venues, but does consider ancillariessuch as a beach center with rentals. Therefore, return rates areexpected to reach significant levels, thereby creating a very attractivemarket and investment by enhancing the efficiency of limited use land—inthis case, the parking lot of a current shopping mall.

It is important to note that around the world some locations have beenmodified by for example adding sand on the border of natural rivershaving poor water quality. With only this improvement, more than 500,000people have visited every year. Examples of such places include LujanBeach in Mendoza, Argentina and Encarnacion in Paraguay. But neither ofthe two examples of public access locations have created a meeting pointof the 21^(st) century, where an urban beach entertainment complex witha centerpiece tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon is provided withancillary facilities and wherein there are beach centers, rentals,stages, and similar facilities and amenities to enjoy the day and nightwith family and friends. Also, it is not believed that such locationshave as great an opportunity for profitability as in the presentinvention's method, which based on calculations and economic evaluationshave yield an internal return rate of up to 172% and even more,depending on a specific scenario. The ability of cost-efficientlytransforming limited use land such as underutilized sites or facilities,that are contiguous or nearby recreational, educational, sports, orcommercial venues into a highly profitable business by creating an urbanbeach entertainment complex has never been seen before, and will havegreat social and economic benefits.

The urban beach entertainment complex and method for providing efficientutilization of limited use land from the present invention alsoconsiders including entertainment and commercial amenities into theurban beach entertainment complex, through rental or facilitation ofspace, facilities, services such as food and drinks, activities, orequipment. Therefore, based on studies it is expected that thepreviously calculated income from direct access fees can even doublethrough such ancillary businesses.

Some amenities surrounding the centerpiece tropical-style pristine-clearlagoon comprise:

-   -   Natural and beachfront amphitheaters with stages and spaces for        concerts, e-sports, and others.    -   Large screens for showcasing movies, sport events, conferences,        educational activities, live events, exclusive streaming of        shows and other events, and others.    -   Unique waterfront event centers and venues for conferences,        weddings, tradeshows, fairs, meetings, and others.    -   Food and drink sectors with permanent or temporal facilities        such as bars, restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, and        others.    -   Sport sectors such as gyms, running trails, soccer fields,        tennis fields, and others.    -   Shopping centers and facilities.    -   Kiosks    -   Rental Centers for coordinating activities or renting equipment.

An amphitheater section 17 a may also be created within the urban beachentertainment complex, wherein the amphitheaters 17 a can house a largescreen 17 b and/or stage 17 c in order to house different activities(See FIGS. 1A and 1B).

Additional activities to be performed using the large tropical-stylepristine-clear lagoon directly or indirectly are: Floating water parkscomprising Wibit® or Aquaglide® facilities, Banana boating, Holographiclight displays, Water shows, Floating stages, among others.

The different activities and shows can be performed live on site or canbe showcased and/or streamed through a large screen configured to beable to be seen by a predetermined number of people. Such activities andshows comprise concerts, shows such as waterskiing shows, drone lightshows, aqua-climb shows, synchronized swimming, ceremonies, movies, TVSeries, documentaries, sports comprising beach volleyball, e-sports,games and gaming activities, competitions comprising drone racing,streaming of live or pre-recorded material, among others.

The beach entertainment complexes can be mostly outdoor, or can be fullyor partially covered with domes or structures that allow year-round usesand activities in locations with strong seasonality, and that allowcreating winter events inside the domes. Such domes can be structural orinflatable, and can be arranged and configured to over the completetropical-style lagoon or a portion thereof.

Additional amenities that are configured within the beach entertainmentcomplex comprise beach cabanas, bars, retail, waterfront or beachfrontterraces, restaurants, food trucks, picnic and BBQ areas.

In an embodiment of the invention, the centerpiece pristine-clear lagoon2 is heated through an external heating system partially or completelyusing the waste heat from an industrial process. For example, thepristine-clear lagoon may be heated indirectly using a heat exchangerthat exchanges hot water from the cooling stage of an industrial orcommercial process with water from the pristine lagoon. The waterheating may be performed through a heating system (not shown) such as aheat exchanger that indirectly transfers the heat from the industrial orcommercial process' cooling stage into the lagoon's water.

In another embodiment of the invention, the bathing zone of thetropical-style man-made lagoon is heated through a heating system thatallows providing heating to the zero-entry beach edge of the lagoon toprovide higher temperature to the water in the bathing area.

In another embodiment of the invention, the make-up water is returnedinto the bathing zones to control the temperature of the water in suchbathing zone, especially in hot weather locations where generally themake-up water will be colder than the water in the centerpiece lagoon,and therefore such make-up water helps cool down such zone.

Additional equipment can be included in the perimeter or within thecenterpiece lagoon in order to generate surface textures and movement ofthe water in the form of aesthetic waves, wherein the aesthetic waves donot have an amplitude of more than 50 cm in most of the lagoon.

VI. Alternative Embodiments

FIGS. 1A and 1B, and FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B show a planor aerial view of a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of theurban beach entertainment complex 1, wherein the complete urban beachentertainment complex 1 is physically enclosed through a physicalbarrier 16 that allows having at least one access control location 13which allows access to the urban beach entertainment complex 1. Thecenterpiece pristine-clear lagoon 2 has at least one zero-entry beachedge 3 a and a sand beach area 6 surrounding at least one portion of thecenterpiece lagoon. Amphitheaters 17 a can also be included in the urbanbeach entertainment complex, facing the centerpiece pristine-clearlagoon 2, that are able to house different entertainment events, andwhich can also include a large screen 17 b. The urban beachentertainment complex also comprises different recreational,educational, commercial venues and facilities 17 such as an event center17 d, which can be temporal or permanent installations.

FIG. 6 shows an aerial view of a schematic configuration of anembodiment of the urban beach entertainment complex 1 corresponding to amixed use, wherein a portion of the urban beach entertainment complex 1is physically enclosed through a physical barrier 16 that allows havingat least one access control location 16, which allows access to theurban beach entertainment complex 1. A portion of the centerpiecetropical-style lagoon 2 is accessed through a control system 14, whereinother portions are accessed by residents or allowed visitors of aresidential project 22. The urban beach entertainment complex alsocomprises different recreational, educational, commercial venues andfacilities 17, which can be temporal or permanent installations.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various other changes in the form anddetails may be made therein without departing form the spirit and scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplex, the complex comprising: a) a large centerpiece lagoon, thelagoon having a bottom, a perimeter, and a minimum surface area of atleast 3,000 m2 to recreate a tropical lifestyle look and feel, andwherein the lagoon further includes: i. at least one bathing zone withinthe lagoon, wherein the bathing zone comprises a localized disinfectionsystem; ii. at least one water sports zone located within the lagoon,the water sports zone comprising a water depth of at least 1.4 meters atits deepest point; b) at least one sand beach area and a rest areasurrounding the perimeter of the lagoon, wherein the sand of the sandbeach area has a light color thereby resembling a tropical beach; c) awater supply system, operatively connected to a water supply, forproviding filling or make-up water for the lagoon; d) a water treatmentsystem arranged and configured for treating the water in the lagoonwherein if the lagoon has a surface of less than about 20,000 m2, thewater treatment system comprises at least one centralized filtrationsystem having the capacity to filter the complete volume of water withina 24 hours timeframe; and for surfaces larger than about 20,000 m2, thewater treatment system is arranged and configured to utilize at least50% less electricity compared to a conventional swimming poolcentralized filtration system, wherein the filtration capacity andfiltration water volume is at least 50% lower than for a conventionalswimming pool filtration system that filters the complete water volume 4times per day; e) a physical barrier surrounding at least a portion ofthe urban beach entertainment complex, the barrier being arranged andconfigured to limit individual access to the complex or its centerpiecelagoon; f) an access control system wherein the access control system isarranged and configured to selectively permit entry of individuals intoat least a portion of the urban beach entertainment complex; and g) atleast one ancillary facility located within the complex, selected fromthe group of commercial, recreational, educational, cultural,residential, and sports facilities in order to allow different eventsand activities to be held within the complex.
 2. The publicly accessibleurban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein at least a portionof the bottom of the lagoon is constructed with a flexible plasticmaterial.
 3. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complexof claim 1, wherein the plastic material is selected from the groupcomprising polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, rubbers, and polypropylene.4. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1,wherein the bottom is constructed with materials to provide layers,comprising plastic liners, shotcrete, and mineral layers the materialsforming the bottom help achieve lower costs than conventional swimmingpools having a concrete bottom.
 5. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of thebottom of the lagoon is constructed with materials having waterproofingand containment properties such as concrete, plaster, stucco, orcombinations thereof.
 6. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the bottom is constructed toinclude two or more of the bottom materials in layers.
 7. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein thecolor of the plastic material is white, light blue or light brown. 8.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1,wherein the color of the sand in the sand beach area is selected fromthe following colors according to the RAL color scale: RAL 9001, RAL9002, RAL 9003, RAL 9010, RAL 9016, RAL 9018, RAL 1001, RAL 1014, or RAL1004.
 9. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex ofclaim 1, further comprising a zero-entry edge having a slope between 5%and 30%, whereby the slope resembles a natural beach edge with a softslope.
 10. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex ofclaim 1, further comprising a localized disinfection system in thebathing zone whereby an increased chemical concentration is provided inthe bathing zone, the localized disinfection system including adispensing outlet arranged and configured to apply disinfectingchemicals to the water volume within the bathing zone.
 11. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 10, wherein thelocalized disinfection system includes devices selected from the groupcomprising nozzles, injectors, jets, piping, and outlets.
 12. Thepublicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 10,wherein the localized disinfection system is located at the perimeter ofthe lagoon and generally bounded by the swimming zone, whereby theprimary influence of the disinfecting chemicals is mainly within theswimming zone.
 13. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplex of claim 1, wherein the localized disinfection system includes aplurality of dispensing outlets, with the dispensing outlets beinglocated at the bottom of the lagoon within the swimming zone, wherebythe primary influence of the disinfecting chemicals is mainly within theswimming zone.
 14. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplex of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the lagoon in water sportszone includes a variety of different slopes and depths.
 15. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein thewater sports zone is arranged and configured mainly for small watercraftto operate within the water sports zone, and wherein the water sports tobe practiced in the water sports zone are selected from the groupcomprising: sailing, boating, canoeing, rowing, kayaking, water skiing,flyboarding, paddleboarding, parasailing, wakeboarding, windsurfing,kiteboarding, and kitesurfing.
 16. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of the lagoonincludes curved shapes and round corners, whereby the lagoon resembles anatural water body.
 17. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, further including tropical vegetationlocated in the sand beach area and additional rest areas, whereby atropical setting is created.
 18. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the surface area of the lagoonis in the range of 3,000 m2 to 200,000 m2.
 19. The publicly accessibleurban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the lagoon has asurface area larger than about 20,000 m2 and does not present anoticeable chemical smell in its majority as in conventional pools thatmaintain a permanent residual chlorine level of 1 ppm.
 20. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein thewater supply system is arranged and configured to maintain a watervolume in the lagoon of at least 80% of the designed water volumepermanently.
 21. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplex of claim 1, wherein the water supply system includes devicesselected from the group comprising: piping, nozzles, waterfalls, inlets,outlets, and valves.
 22. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the make-up water has iron andmanganese concentrations of up to 2 ppm and turbidity of up to 8 NTU.23. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim1, wherein the water treatment system includes a modular treatmentsystem and wherein the modular treatment system includes elementsselected from the group comprising: containerized machine rooms, skidmounted systems, and water treatment equipment.
 24. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein theaccess control system is located in at least a portion of the physicalbarrier.
 25. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complexof claim 1, wherein the access control system is located anywhere withinthe premises of the complex.
 26. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the access control system isconfigured to permit entry of individuals into at least a portion of theurban beach entertainment complex based on information received by aticket, an entry fee, an ID, an ID card, an entry card, a wearablebracelet, by association to an admissions program, through membership,as guests, as participating in activities or facilities located withinthe same complex, or by a mobile phone carried by the individuals. 27.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1,wherein the ancillary facilities include event arenas, museums,amusement parks, water parks, stadiums, golf courses, membership clubs,temporary accommodation facilities such as hotels, zoos, aquariums,shopping centers, university campuses, casinos, cruise ship ports, speedtracks, horse race tracks, and Olympic venues, among others.
 28. Thepublicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 23,wherein the modular treatment system has a plug and play configuration.29. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim1, wherein the water treatment system is arranged and configured to: a.collect water and storing such water in a container having a bottom ableto be thoroughly cleaned by a suction device, b. during a 7 dayinterval, treating the water in the container by periodically addingdisinfectant agents to said water to establish an ORP of at least 500 mVfor a period of time dependent on the temperature of the water beingtreated, c. activating the operation of mobile suction means in order tosuction a portion of said water in the container containing settledsolids to prevent the thickness of settled material from exceeding 3 mm,and d. filtering such portion of water suctioned by the mobile suctionmeans and returning the filtered water to said container, whereby atleast 50% less filtration capacity and water volume is filtered comparedto a conventional swimming pool filtration system are utilized thatrequires filtering the complete water volume 4 times per day.
 30. Thepublicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1,wherein the water treatment system is arranged and configured to utilizeat least 50% less chemicals than a conventional swimming pooldisinfection system that requires maintaining at least 1 ppm of chlorinepermanently in all of the water volume.
 31. The publicly accessibleurban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the lagoon isarranged and configured to create a fetch length, when exposed to thewind, due to the size and length of the lagoon, whereby a natural wavemotion is created on the surface of the lagoon which is similar to thatof natural lakes.
 32. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplex of claim 1, wherein the lagoon operates in an essentially closedcycle, whereby the water in the lagoon is not significantly renewed froman open body of water.
 33. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the water in the lagoon has aminimum vertical transparency of 1.2 meters, whereby the lagoon watertransparency resembles the pristine clear waters of tropical seas. 34.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1,wherein evaporation control chemicals are added to the water of thelagoon, whereby evaporation is reduced up to 50% compared to naturalevaporation rates.
 35. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplex of claim 1, wherein the access control system includes at leastone location in the physical barrier.
 36. The publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex of claim 35, wherein the access controllocation includes a control system, wherein the control system isselected from the group comprising gated entries, turnstiles, accessreaders, security barriers, biometric systems.
 37. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein thephysical barrier includes at least one element selected from the groupcomprising: fences, walls, moats, natural vegetation, and buildings. 38.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1,wherein the access control system is arranged and configured to allowaccess to at least 500 people per hour into the urban beachentertainment complex.
 39. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 1, further comprising at least oneancillary facility selected from the group comprising amphitheatershaving a stage, event centers, kiosks, rental centers, shopping centers,gyms, promenades, sports fields, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.40. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim1, further comprising at least one beachfront amphitheater having astage for hosting and/or showcasing different events, educationalactivities, concerts, cultural activities, sport events, and similarcontent.
 41. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complexof claim 1, further comprising at least one large screen on which toproject a video image, whereby movies, e-sports, sport events,conferences, simulcasts, live streaming of content, and educationalactivities, events, may be shown.
 42. The publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the lagoon includes anillumination system, whereby use of the lagoon is facilitated during lowlight hours or under enclosed structures.
 43. The publicly accessibleurban beach entertainment complex of claim 42, wherein the illuminationsystem comprises lights located about the periphery and beneath thesurface of the water in the lagoon.
 44. The publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein the lagoon includes atleast one dock extending from the periphery of the lagoon toward adeeper portion of the lagoon, whereby access to the deeper portions isfacilitated and enables the practice of aquatic sports.
 45. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1, wherein atleast a portion of the entertainment complex is covered with a dome. 46.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 45,wherein the dome is selected from the group comprising structural orinflatable domes.
 47. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainmentcomplex of claim 1, further comprising a heating system, wherein atleast some of the water in the lagoon is heated.
 48. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 47, wherein theheating system uses at least part of the waste heat from an industrialor commercial cooling process.
 49. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 47, wherein the heating system isarranged and configured to increase the water temperature in the bathingzone.
 50. The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex ofclaim 1, further comprising returning the make-up water into the bathingzone to control the temperature of the water in the bathing zone. 51.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 1,wherein additional equipment is included in the perimeter of the lagoonto generate surface textures and movement of the water in the form ofsmall, aesthetic waves.
 52. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 51, wherein the aesthetic waves do nothave an amplitude of more than 50 cm.
 53. A method for efficientlyutilizing limited use land by creating a publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex, the method comprising: a) selecting a site with aminimum total surface of 16,000 m2, wherein the site is selected fromvacant land, underutilized sites, limited use land, or land that iscontiguous or nearby recreational, educational, sports, or commercialvenues, has a minimum surrounding population of 500,000 people within a50-mile radius connected by road access, and has a water supply withsufficient availability for use at the site; b) constructing acenterpiece lagoon, the lagoon having a bottom, a perimeter, and asurface area between 3,000 m2 and 200,000 m2 to recreate a tropicallifestyle look and feel; c) establishing at least one sand beach areaand a rest area surrounding the perimeter of the lagoon, wherein thesand of the sand beach area has a light color thereby resembling atropical beach; d) connecting a water source to the lagoon with a watersupply system, the water supply system providing both filling and/ormake-up water for the lagoon; e) incorporate a water treatment systemfor treating water in the lagoon, the water treatment system beingarranged and configured for treating the water in the lagoon, wherein ifthe lagoon has a surface less than 20,000 m2, the water treatment systemcomprises at least one centralized filtration system having the capacityto filter the complete volume of water within a 24 hours timeframe; andfor surfaces of 20,000 m2 and larger, the water treatment system isconfigured to utilize at least 50% less electricity compared to aconventional swimming pool centralized filtration system, wherein thefiltration capacity and filtration water volume is at least 50% lowerthan for a conventional swimming pool filtration system that filters thecomplete water volume 4 times per day; f) delimiting at least a portionof the publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex with aphysical barrier, the barrier being arranged and configured to limitindividual access to the complex; g) establishing at least one ancillaryfacility located within the entertainment area, selected from the groupof commercial, recreational, educational, cultural, residential, sportsand temporary accommodation facilities; and h) establishing an accesscontrol system, wherein the access control system is arranged andconfigured to selectively permit entry of individuals into at least aportion of the urban beach entertainment complex; whereby individualentry fees provide revenue for the urban beach entertainment complex,thereby providing an efficient use of a facility or land that haslimited use.
 54. The method of claim 53, further comprising creating atleast one water sports zone within the lagoon, and wherein the watersports zone has a minimum water depth of at least 1.4 meters at itsdeepest point.
 55. The method of claim 53, wherein the type of waterused from the water source is selected from the group comprising: freshwater, brackish water, saline water or seawater.
 56. The method of claim53, wherein the water source does not include aluminum or hydrocarbons,whereby pre-treatment of the water is minimized.
 57. The method of claim53, further comprising covering at least 80% of the bottom of the lagoonin the water sports zone with a flexible plastic material.
 58. Themethod of claim 57, wherein the plastic material is a light-coloredmembrane, whereby in combination with the minimum depth thecharacteristic and intense color of tropical seas is generated.
 59. Themethod of claim 48, wherein the color of the plastic material rangesfrom white to a light blue or light brown color.
 60. The method of claim53, wherein the color of the sand is selected from the following colorsaccording to the RAL color scale: RAL 9001, RAL 9002, RAL 9003, RAL9010, RAL 9016, RAL 9018, RAL 1001, RAL 1014, and RAL
 1004. 61. Themethod of claim 48, wherein the plastic material is selected from thegroup comprising polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, rubbers, andpolypropylene.
 62. The method of claim 53, further including forming theedges of the lagoon with curved shapes with round corners, whereby thelagoon resembles a natural water body.
 63. The method of claim 53,further including placing tropical vegetation in the urban beachentertainment complex.
 64. The method of claim 63, wherein the tropicalvegetation includes trees and plants and are located in and adjacent tothe sand beach area.
 65. The method of claim 53, further providing amodular treatment system for water treatment to the water contained inthe lagoon and wherein the modular treatment system has a plug and playconfiguration.
 66. The method of claim 53, wherein the water treatmentsystem is arranged and configured to: a. collect water and storing suchwater in a container having a bottom able to be thoroughly cleaned by asuction device, b. during a 7 day interval, treating the water in thecontainer by periodically adding disinfectant agents to said water toestablish an ORP of at least 500 mV for a period of time dependent onthe temperature of the water being treated, c. activating the operationof mobile suction means in order to suction a portion of said water inthe container containing settled solids to prevent the thickness ofsettled material from exceeding 3 mm, and d. filtering such portion ofwater suctioned by the mobile suction means and returning the filteredwater to said container, whereby at least 50% less filtration capacityand water volume is filtered compared to a conventional swimming poolfiltration system are utilized that requires filtering the completewater volume 4 times per day.
 67. The method according to claim 53,further comprising designing the length and size of the lagoon suchthat, when the lagoon is subject to wind, establishes a fetch length,whereby the established fetch length encourages a natural surface wavemotion similar to that of natural bodies of water.
 68. The method ofclaim 53, further comprising operating the lagoon in an essentiallyclosed cycle manner, wherein the water volume is not significantlyrenewed through recirculation with the water source.
 69. A method forefficiently utilizing limited use land by creating a publicly accessibleurban beach entertainment complex, the method comprising: a) selecting asite with a minimum total surface of 16,000 m2, wherein the site isselected from vacant land, underutilized sites, limited use land, orland that is contiguous or nearby recreational, educational, sports, orcommercial venues, has a minimum surrounding population of 500,000people within a 50-mile radius connected by road access, and has a watersupply with sufficient availability for use at the site; b) constructinga centerpiece lagoon, the lagoon having a bottom, a perimeter, and asurface area between 3,000 m2 and 200,000 m2 to recreate a tropicallifestyle look and feel; c) establishing at least one sand beach areaand a rest area surrounding the perimeter of the lagoon, wherein thesand of the sand beach area has a light color thereby resembling atropical beach; d) connecting a water source to the lagoon with a watersupply system, the water supply system providing both filling and/ormake-up water for the lagoon; e) incorporate a water treatment systemfor treating water in the lagoon, the water treatment system beingarranged and configured for treating the water in the lagoon, wherein ifthe lagoon has a surface less than 20,000 m2, the water treatment systemcomprises at least one centralized filtration system having the capacityto filter the complete volume of water within a 24 hours timeframe; andfor surfaces of 20,000 m2 and larger, the water treatment system isconfigured to utilize at least 50% less electricity compared to aconventional swimming pool centralized filtration system, wherein thefiltration capacity and filtration water volume is at least 50% lowerthan for a conventional swimming pool filtration system that filters thecomplete water volume 4 times per day; f) delimiting at least a portionof the publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex with aphysical barrier, the barrier being arranged and configured to limitindividual access to the complex; g) establishing at least one ancillaryfacility located within the entertainment area, selected from the groupof commercial, recreational, educational, cultural, residential, sportsand temporary accommodation facilities; and h) establishing an accesscontrol system, wherein the access control system is arranged andconfigured to selectively permit entry of individuals into at least aportion of the urban beach entertainment complex, whereby individualentry fees provide revenue for the urban beach entertainment complex,thereby providing an efficient use of a facility or land that haslimited use; and wherein the lagoon comprises a zero-entry edge having aslope between 5% and 30%, whereby the slope resembles a natural beachedge with a soft slope.
 70. The method of claim 53, further comprisingmaintaining the water in the lagoon such that a minimum verticaltransparency of 1.2 meters is established, whereby the water in thelagoon resembles the clear water of tropical seas.
 71. The method ofclaim 53, further comprising adding evaporation control chemicals to thewater in the lagoon, whereby evaporation is reduced compared to naturalevaporation rates.
 72. The method of claim 53, further comprisinglocating at least one access control system in the physical barrier. 73.The method of claim 72, wherein the access control location includes acontrol system selected from the group comprising gated entries,turnstiles, access readers, security barriers, or biometric systems. 74.The method of claim 72, further comprising locating the access controlsystem relative to the physical barrier such that access to at least apredetermined portion of the urban beach entertainment complex iscontrolled.
 75. The method of claim 53, wherein the physical barriercomprises one or more elements selected from the group comprisingfences, walls, moats, natural vegetation, and buildings.
 76. The methodof claim 53, wherein the access control system is configured to allowaccess to at least 500 people per hour into the urban beachentertainment complex.
 77. The method of claim 53, further comprisinglocating an amphitheater having a stage within the urban beachentertainment complex, whereby events, educational activities, concerts,cultural activities, and sporting events may be conducted.
 78. Themethod of claim 53, further comprising locating a video screen in theurban beach entertainment complex for showing movies, sporting events,conferences, simulcasts, live streaming of content, and educationalactivities.
 79. The method of claim 53, further comprising anillumination system for the lagoon.
 80. The method of claim 79, whereinthe illumination system comprises LED underwater strip lights orunderwater spot lights.
 81. The method of claim 53, further comprisingconstructing a dock in the lagoon, the dock extending from a perimeterof the lagoon toward a deeper portion of the lagoon, whereby the dockenables access to the deeper portion to better enable practicing watersports.
 82. The method of claim 53, further comprising a dome over atleast a portion of the urban beach entertainment complex.
 83. The methodof claim 82, wherein the dome is selected from structural or inflatabledomes and is arranged and configured to be located over at least aportion of the lagoon.
 84. The method of claim 53, further comprisinginstalling an external heating system to heat water in the lagoon. 85.The method of claim 84, wherein the external heating system uses, atleast partially, waste heat from an industrial or commercial coolingprocess.
 86. The method of claim 84, further comprising locating theheating system in the swimming zone.
 87. The method of claim 53, furthercomprising attracting a minimum of 100,000 annual visitors to the urbanbeach recreational complex.
 88. The method of claim 53, furthercomprising locating third party entertainment amenities within the urbanbeach recreational complex.
 89. The method of claim 53, furthercomprising charging an entry fee to the urban beach recreational complexin the range of $5 to $150 per individual.
 90. The method of claim 53,further comprising charging an entry fee to the urban beach recreationalcomplex in the range of $10 to $20 per individual.
 91. The method ofclaim 53, further comprising designing the lagoon to accommodate the useof water sports that utilize small watercraft, wherein the water sportsare selected from the group comprising: sailing, boating, canoeing,rowing, kayaking, water skiing, flyboarding, paddleboarding,parasailing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, kiteboarding, and kitesurfing.92. The method of claim 53, further comprising establishing the entryfee based on predetermined factors including age, number of peoplewithin groups, and seasonality.
 93. The method of claim 53, wherein theentry fee may be paid on site or may be pre-purchased.
 94. The method ofclaim 53, wherein the entry fee may be part of a seasonal pass.
 95. Themethod of claim 53, further comprising locating small wave generatingequipment on the perimeter of the lagoon, the small wave generatingequipment arranged and configured to generate water surface textures andaesthetic waves.
 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the aesthetic waveshave maximum amplitude of 50 cm.
 97. A publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex, the complex comprising: a) a large centerpiecelagoon, the lagoon having a bottom, a perimeter, and a minimum surfacearea of 3,000 m2 to recreate a tropical lifestyle look and feel whereinthe bottom is constructed with materials to provide layers, comprisingplastic liners, shotcrete, concrete, plaster, stucco, and minerallayers, the materials forming the bottom help achieve lower costs thanconventional swimming pools having a concrete bottom, and wherein thelagoon further includes: i. at least one bathing zone within the lagoon,wherein the bathing zone comprises a localized disinfection system; ii.at least one water sports zone located within the lagoon, the watersports zone comprising a water depth of at least 1.4 meters at itsdeepest point; b) at least one sand beach area and a rest areasurrounding the perimeter of the lagoon, wherein the sand of the sandbeach area has a light color thereby resembling a tropical beach; c) awater supply system, operatively connected to a water supply, forproviding filling or make-up water for the lagoon; d) a water treatmentsystem arranged and configured for treating the water in the lagoonwherein if the lagoon has a surface of less than about 20,000 m2, thewater treatment system comprises at least one centralized filtrationsystem having the capacity to filter the complete volume of water withina 24 hours timeframe; and for surfaces larger than about 20,000 m2, thewater treatment system is a water treatment system arranged andconfigured to utilize at least 50% less electricity compared to aconventional swimming pool centralized filtration system, wherein thefiltration capacity and filtration water volume is at least 50% lowerthan for a conventional swimming pool filtration system that filters thecomplete water volume 4 times per day; e) a physical barrier surroundingat least a portion of the urban beach entertainment complex, the barrierbeing arranged and configured to limit individual access to the complexor its centerpiece lagoon; f) an access control system wherein theaccess control system is arranged and configured to selectively permitentry of individuals into at least a portion of the urban beachentertainment complex; and g) at least one ancillary facility locatedwithin the complex, selected from the group of commercial, recreational,educational, cultural, residential, and sports facilities in order toallow different events and activities to be held within the complex. 98.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 97,wherein the bottom is constructed to include two or more of the bottommaterials in layers.
 99. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 97, wherein the zero-entry edge of thelagoon has a slope between 5% and 30%, whereby the slope resembles anatural beach edge with a soft slope.
 100. The publicly accessible urbanbeach entertainment complex of claim 97, further comprising a localizeddisinfection system in the bathing zone, the localized disinfectionsystem including a dispensing outlet arranged and configured to applydisinfecting chemicals to the water volume within the bathing zone. 101.The publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 97,wherein the bottom of the lagoon in water sports zone includes a varietyof different slopes and depths.
 102. The publicly accessible urban beachentertainment complex of claim 97, wherein the access control system isconfigured to permit entry of individuals into at least a portion of theurban beach entertainment complex based on information received by aticket, an entry fee, a seasonal pass, though membership, by associationto an admissions program, as guests of the ancillary facilities, throughelectronic ticketing, electronic ticketing using cell phone and otherdevices, a printed material, a card, among others.
 103. The publiclyaccessible urban beach entertainment complex of claim 97, wherein theancillary facilities include event arenas, museums, amusement parks,water parks, stadiums, golf courses, membership clubs, temporaryaccommodation facilities such as hotels, zoos, aquariums, shoppingcenters, university campuses, casinos, cruise ship ports, speed tracks,horse race tracks, and Olympic venues, among others.